No more delay in special educator recruitment: Supreme Court

Bhubaneswar(01/09/2025): The Supreme Court of India, in its order dated 29th August 2025 in Writ Petition (Civil) No.132/2016 – Rajneesh Kumar Pandey & Others vs Union of India & Others, has once again issued strict directions to all States and Union Territories to comply with earlier orders regarding the appointment of Special Educators in general schools as mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

The Court has fixed the next date of hearing on 9th September 2025 at 2:00 PM and made it clear that interim directions will continue until further orders.

The Bench has also indicated that failure to act in time may invite serious consequences, including contempt proceedings against defaulting States. Advocate Srishti Agnihotri, representing the petitioners on behalf of Odisha, and Advocate of Odisha High Court Shri Sankar Prasad Pani, who has been consistently following the matter, placed before the Court the alarming ground reality.

Odisha has nearly 1.46 lakh Children with Special Needs (CwSN) spread across about 64,000 schools but the state has failed to appoint the required Special Educators.

Around 7,000 trained Special Educator aspirants are available in Odisha and waiting for recruitment, yet the government has not acted with urgency.

This neglect has directly denied thousands of CwSN students their fundamental right to quality and inclusive education. Suryakanta Behera, President of OSEFD, stated that the appointment of Special Educators is a legal obligation, not a policy choice.

He emphasised that the delay and inaction are a direct violation of the RPwD Act and urged the Government of Odisha to take immediate and concrete steps.

OSEFD has politely requested the State Government to begin recruitment of all eligible Special Educators without further delay, to strengthen inclusive educational infrastructure, and to ensure accountability in line with the Supreme Court’s monitoring process. OSEFD reiterates that it fully respects the directions of the Supreme Court and seeks early compliance from the State Government so that the rights of 1.46 lakh CwSN students in Odisha are not compromised.

The Federation stands committed to extending all cooperation for building an inclusive education system in the state.